Hi, I'm a new member and I was hoping to ride with you guys this morning 11/2. I didn't see anyone at Eastern Market, though. Got there at 7:05. Maybe I was in the wrong spot? Maybe people left early? Could someone clarify? Thanks.

Welcome to the club! I wasn't able to ride today either, but I think all the posts about the ride today said they were meeting on the Hill at 7:40 and in Georgetown at 8:00. It sounds like you were just really early. In the late fall/early winter when it's dark and cold in the mornings, the ride shifts to a slightly later start time. At this time of year, I'd recommend checking the most recent posts each week to make sure you have the right start time. See you out there!

After too long of a break from the Saturday ride (And my road bike), I'm planning on making it out this week for a ride to Great Falls with hills and a likely stop at Starbucks. What is the condition of the road these days? Still doing the altered route?

What time do we want to roll? It seems like it's about the time to push the ride back to a more reasonable 8:10/8:30 start time to accommodate for cooler temps, less daylight (though daylight isn't an issue yet) and the fact that it's the off-season and more fun should be being had on Friday nights. Any problems with making that the official time for the winter? Majority rules so if you disagree, include your preferred start time.

We may be best with staying on MacArthur based on the last update I got from Myron...

"MacArthur only has a small unpaved patch up to Persimmon Tree, so it's much better. HOWEVER, recent reports from my teammates have stated that the road crews have now scraped off Goldsboro from MacArthur up to River Road... Instead of turning up Goldsboro to Bradley (or even just staying on MacArthur to Great Falls), we'll take the right hand turn up Wilson just before the one-lane bridge and head up to Bradley via that route. Here's a link to the revised route: http://ridewithgps.com/routes/3640405"

Brady, I couldn't open up the link but we'll talk over the route in G-Town

For the new riders, we'll probably be riding in the 22+ mph range once we hit MacArthur. If you're planning on a different speed, please post it here and we'll see what we can do to pair you up with a similar speed.

After a chilly ride last week, it looks like much better temps for Saturday. I'm in for a spin out to Great Falls. Remember the new 8:10/8:30 ride times.

After the ride a couple of people made comments to me about paceline habits. Nothing major, but let's make sure to stay safe when revolving around the paceline. Make sure that the space is available before merging back in. I think there were a couple of times that some merges were made into spaces that weren't fully open. Thanks-- no need for unnecessary crashes.

To build on Travis's point. If you are in the pace line, make sure you are up on the bike's wheel in front of you. If there is a large gap that is left, the signal that is being sent to the rider coming back is that you want them to jump in in front of you.

Here are a few safety tips on pacelines/group rides (not exhaustive): LINK

Something that I've noticed a lot, too, is the group taking up two lanes at times out on MacArthur. While it seems to be the triathlete way, when doubling up, please try to keep to the right so you don't spook drivers or put yourself in danger. If you're not going to ride in position, please drop back or out of any pacelines.

If you're new to pacelines, that's great, hopefully our veterans will guide you to safe riding. Don't be afraid to ride in a paceline, it's fun and can be done safely. Still not comfortable? Please let the group know you're new to pacelines so others can predict your unpredictability :) By letting others know you're new they can help guide you and the group stay on two wheels! With time you'll feel more comfortable and you'll begin to love it more.